Week 1 Lesson Text

Parkview's Debt-Free Boot Camp 1 Let me share with you how we are going to proceed. This week and next, we are going to use the Bible as a springboard to look into financial matters, similar to what Dean has been doing in his sermons. We are not doing an expositional study of the passages, but using them to convey an idea and concept, and then we will look at steps we can take in order to improve our financial standing. On the third week, we are going to have a preview of the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class. It will be a video from Dave Ramsey. It costs money, serious money. The other day it was around $129 for the course. For us, it will be close to $100. The cost of the kit for those attending at Parkview is $93 plus 7 percent shipping and handling – this is per family and is a lifetime membership. You will be able to take any FPU class anywhere at anytime after you purchase the membership kit. Not everyone will be able to afford it, so Dean wanted to make sure we had something for everybody, regardless of financial standing. The information you are receiving this week and next will be similar, but it will not be the same and will not be as diverse as the Ramsey stuff. We are focusing on getting out of debt and improving your financial condition. Due to a contractual agreement with Dave Ramsey's organization, we cannot repackage the information in a different manner. Let me say this, if you want to take the Dave Ramsey class but cannot afford the entire price, we are working to make partial scholarships available. If the amount of the scholarship and the amount you have is simply not enough, then you can buy Dave's books and get the same information, though you will not have all of the materials and you will not have the workbook. I looked on Amazon.com and found someone selling the 13 audio lessons on CD for $40. The book was $11. So, for $51 you will have the information you need, you just won't be sitting in 1

the class with your friends. Only those families enrolled in the class can attend. I might add, Wendi and I purchased our membership kit from an individual selling through Amazon.com, and we paid around $53 for it. You don't have to purchase a kit here if you can find it cheaper somewhere else. OK, enough with introductory matters, let's start (Jer 29:11 NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This promise came to God's people concerning the exile. Because of disobedience, the people of God were dragged out of the Promised Land and separated from the blessings of God. However, as Jeremiah prophesied, they would not be in exile forever. Yet, it was not going to be a quick deliverance, either, like the false prophets were predicting. God's plans for His people include blessing them. I think this is how we should understand prosperity: God blessing our lives. Webster's Dictionary defines “prosper” like this: 1. (v. t.) To favor; to render successful. 2. (v. i.) To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain. 3. (v. i.) To grow; to increase. Psa 35:27 in the NASB, says: Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, "The LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant." The Bible tells us God delights in the prosperity of His servants, those who follow Him, those who are obedient to Him. But, you need to understand this: 2

God's idea of prosperity does not have to include riches and wealth. This is how the NIV translates the same passage: (Psa 35:27 NIV) May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, "The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant." We have the Lord delighting in prosperity in one version, and Him delighting in well-being in the other. Which one is right? Well, they both are. We in this culture lean toward an either/or understanding of ideas and concepts. The word either means prosperity, which most tie to wealth, or it means well-being, which typically relates to the overall state of one's existence, including attitude, temperament, health and financial status. The word translated prosperity comes from the Hebrews words of shalev and sakal, which relate to "tranquility; security; ease; peace; wealth; to have good success." Prosperity can include wealth, but it is not constrained solely to your financial well-being. Why do I say all of this, it is because I don't want you to leave hear with the false notion that we are going to look at ways to get out of debt and improve our financial standing and become rich beyond our wildest imaginations just because we are Christians and believe the Bible. I can, with a great deal of confidence, promise you this: If you are obedient to God, then you will prosper. I hope by now you understand, I did not say: If you are obedient to God, then you will become rich and wealthy. You might become rich. You might not. But, God does want to bless you. Are you willing to be obedient? I want to look at a principle from Luke 14:25-33. It comes in the 3

context of being a disciple of Christ. The portion from which I want to draw is vv. 28-30: "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? {29} For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, {30} saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'” The essence of what Jesus is saying is before you become a disciple, you better consider the cost of what it takes. It means following Him above anything else. If your mother, father, spouse, child, relative or friend will separate you from Christ, then you better get rid of them all and follow Christ. The price is heavy, and He wants you to consider the cost. I want to use this idea of “considering the cost” and relate it to our financial lives. If you want to get out of debt, then you need a plan. Wendi and I were trying for years to get out of debt, we were paying extra on the mortgage and paying extra on credit cards, but we were not making as big a dent on our debt as we are now, because we have a plan in place. We know exactly what we are going to do with our money before it gets deposited into our checking and savings accounts. We spend every dollar on paper before we spend a single dollar at a store. We did this, well, to be truthful, Wendi did this, by sitting down, analyzing how much income we receive every pay period, tracking every bill we have have and estimating how much money we will need for groceries, gasoline, going out to restaurants or seeing a movie and limiting how much “walking around cash” we carry. We decided in January we were going to change our financial standing in life. We were going to work to get out of debt and stay out of debt. Wendi and I were of differing opinions on how to do it: She was following Mary Hunt's Debt-Proof Living, and I was listening to 4

Dave Ramsey on the radio. Let me say, the two approaches are very similar. Dave is a much better marketer of his materials than Mary is of hers. Both are good, and Mary Hunt is another alternative for you. I guess it would not be too much a stretch to say I was a living example of what it says in Prov. 17:16: Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom? Wendi and I are not the best paid, and we certainly are not the worst paid. What we discovered is once we put a plan in place, a plan based on years of a successful track record for others -- or you might say a plan based on wisdom, we improved our financial outlook. Do you have a plan? Would you like a plan? There is a simple twopoint plan that will help you get out of debt and stay debt-free: 1) Spend less than you earn, and 2) Take on no new debt. Eventually, you will get out of debt. Mary Hunt has what she calls a Rapid Debt Reduction Plan, and this will accelerate your efforts. On her Web site, Mary Hunt says you can become fiscally fit if you do these things 9 things: 1. Record your spending. Sounds like a silly instruction, especially if you feel overwhelmed and under deposited. Nonetheless, if you will begin keeping a written record of every expenditure I can promise you a couple of things: 1. You’ll hesitate before making silly, impulsive purchases. 2. You’ll start taking back control once you see where all of your money goes. 2. Give back. I know. You’re broke. You have mountains of debt and some idiot is suggesting you give money away. That’s right and you can call me an idiot. Giving is a mysterious, miraculous activity that when practiced will transform your life. Giving away part of what you have is the antidote for that wretched trend toward excess and self-indulgence. 5

3. Pay yourself. Ideally you should pay yourself ten percent of what you earn. If you can’t start with ten percent, start with something. Even if it’s a dollar a week, start saving. Even if you are heavily in debt, start saving. Saving money is a great attitude booster. If you’re discouraged and down-in-the-dumps, start saving money 4. Don’t spend what you don’t have. There are only two ways to do that: Steal or borrow. If too much of the latter has landed you in financial bondage, there is a way to get out: 5. Stop debting. Just stop. Determine from this moment on you will not go one more dollar into debt. You may need to part with some credit cards and even shed a few tears, but you can stop. No one can force you one dollar further into debt. 6. Reduce expenses. If your income is less than your outgo, reduce the outgo. There’s no better way to make money than to cut expenses. The results are immediate and the proceeds are tax free. 7. Rapidly re-pay debt. If you continue paying your creditors according to their payment schedule, you may never get out of “perma-debt.” Incurring no more new debt and prepaying principal is the key to rapid debt reduction. See “Rapid DebtRepayment Plan” at www.cheapskatemonthly.com. 8. Sell assets. The careful consideration of selling assets to raise funds to get out of debt may be a wise choice for you. If you own things of value that are not necessary in your life or could be replaced at a later date, selling them could ease your financial situation. 9. Seek solvency. Solvency means being content with the money you have. Solvency is that confident feeling of being 6

prepared for any circumstance, of living with joy and peace--of living beneath your means. If you are approaching the future with determination to get rich quick so you can fix your current situation, I have bad news for you. Unless you are destitute and below the poverty line, more money is not going to fix anything. Until you learn how to control and care for the money you already have, more money will only exacerbate the situation you are in now. Just as you have in the past you will see more money as the down payment on what you feel entitled to have. There you go. A foolproof financial fitness formula that you can take to the bank! If you are in debt it is because you spent more money than you have, or you borrowed because you did not want to spend the money you have. If you are going to get out of debt, you will need a plan of action. For more information visit: http://pccdebtfree.blogspot.com.

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